


i can't save us (my atlantis, we fall)

by Anonymous



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: (maybe), Aged up characters, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Forensic Scientists, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, M/M, Mysophobia, NO rape, Police, Some Humor, investigators
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-22 19:20:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21307271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: There's not a lot that goes on in Eastport, Maine. Life seems to be dull.That is, of course, until a murder of a local girl lead people to believe there was a killer amongst them. To what seemed to be the only kill, turns out to be way more sinister. After the murder, a young detective and scientist by the name Johnny Seo awakens to his boyfriend missing without a trace.And now everyone is a suspect.
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Moon Taeil, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34
Collections: Anonymous





	i can't save us (my atlantis, we fall)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This fic deals with heavy, heavy topics. It is constantly discussed within the story of these topics, so I really hope yoou take this trigger warning in for consideration!
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING for emetophobia (though no one actually does, there's scene where it is described that they have the feeling to or desire to), sexual assault (i archived warned it as rape/non-con due to me wanting to ensure people know that this deals heavily with it), mentioned AND described torture/violence that I will trigger warn at the beginning of every chapter. homophobia also plays a part in this, so please be aware. all these warnings apply to this chapters.
> 
> note also, i'm not very good at writing about what people do in their jobs, if things seem shaky or inaccurate that's because i'm still learning about it and therefore cannot be 100% on how these things are dealth with. it's a hard field to write about, and let alone get correct due to all the careers and effort that goes into these types of jobs. so please bare with me for any inaccuracies that may be displayed. 
> 
> by no means whatsoever do these real life people belong to me in any way, these are my own characters and i am building a story off of them. this fic does not represent them in real life nor reflect how i view them as people in the real world. it's fiction.

Johnny types at his laptop, it’s another day of analyzing the same crime scene. Some girl went missing and her body was found no less than fifty yards outside of town, her body disfigured and the marks on her body screamed that she was being targeted. Words that were slurs towards her sexuality, that is. It was all over her body. Johnny finds it discomforting-- being one of the only gay men in his section. Besides Doyoung, of course. It’s almost comforting how quiet it is in the lab. He was capable of much more besides being a forensic scientist, even being a huge part of the investigation process rather than getting the evidence from a crime scene and running billions of tests until the match comes out. It’s a quiet Tuesday morning, that is. Maybe too quiet in a town Eastport, Maine. 

He moved out to Maine on his 26th birthday, he and his boyfriend. Both leaving everything they knew back in South Korea and beginning a new life in the USA. Doyoung had left Korea when he was only 18, so he was able to bring them under his embrace and get them on their feet. 

Johnny, originally being from America was easily able to get a job in the degree he had. Taeyong, however was still working to get to where he wanted to be. Still learning English and finishing his Nursing degree, it was hard to find a job that would suit his standards. His boyfriend was very persistent, often making it hard to come to an agreement with. But that was the least of his worries, his worries lied on his mysophobia. It was a hassle getting him on the plane, and it was even harder getting him to move into an old house. His phobia interfered with his daily life and is part of the reason Johnny insists he takes his time with getting a job. He just doesn’t want Taeyong to feel overwhelmed.

By now, he finally takes a step back and reasons the cause of death was strangulation, then the murderer had disfigured her. Johnny feels sick to his stomach. The girl was about his age, maybe a little younger. Identified by her mother as Aika Lee. 

He types the information into his laptop and then begins to pack up, carefully putting the evidence into its proper bags and putting it away from finding. Johnny closes the laptop and walks out of the lab, pulling his phone out to message Taeyong he’d be home before dinner. 

** _Hey, baby. I’ll be home before dinner. Any luck with jobs?_ **

Johnny smiles as he thinks he’s finally going to get back home to see his lovely boyfriend. He misses his hugs and kisses a lot, and being with him will take a lot of stress off of his shoulders. 

He smiles at a few of his coworkers, then heads into Doyoung’s office to give him a few of the documents that he went over and then discuss further analysis and conclusions. The murderer was harder than any case he’s been in, almost all his tracks are covered besides on single string left behind that held no potential to the case. Doyoung looks up when he enters and greets him with a nod.

“Any luck today?” Doyoung questions, Johnny hums a little and gives a small nod. Doyoung smiles.

“Great, that’s great,” Doyoung says, “Any clues to who can be the murderer?” 

“Not at all, the only suspects we have are her ex girlfriend, her mother, and potentially her neighbor,” Johnny says, “Over half the time it’s someone who knows her. Although, we have to rule everyone a suspect in this town because of how small it is. There’s no doubt it could be anyone.”

“That’s true,” Doyoung says, “But we have to take in that small percent that this killer is doing this for no reason but his hatred towards… something.”

“I think the killer is targeting young gay people,” Johnny says, “There was slurs carved onto her body. Though it might not be major, this could definitely be something huge that plays a part in it. Who knows who will be next.”

_ “If _ there’s a next victim,” Doyoung corrects, “If the killer is someone in relations with her then we have every reason to believe this was a one time thing. We don’t know if this is someone who knows her or if it’s someone who doesn’t.”

“Right,” Johnny nods, “Good thinking. We need to be wary of what happens from now on, any leads can take us to the killer.”

“That’s right,” Doyoung concludes, he takes the documents and organizes them, then pushes his glasses up, “Good work today. You can get home now, tell Taeyong I said hello.”

“I will,” Johnny smiles, then leaves the office. He pulls out his phone to see if Taeyong had responded yet, but he hadn’t. This sparks a little worry in his gut because Taeyong is usually quick to respond to texts. Especially from him.

Johnny pushes the thought back, deciding Taeyong is probably cooking, taking a nap, or studying. It’s nothing to fret too much over. 

He gets to his car and then gets in, barely missing the small note on this windshield. He quirks an eyebrow and gets back out to grab it, checking his surroundings for any kids or people that could be who left it. When he takes it, he blinks a few times to process it. 

** _‘01110100 01101000 01100101 01111001 00100111 01110010 01100101 00100000 01100001 00100000 01110000 01110010 01101111 01100100 01110101 01100011 01110100 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110011 01101001 01101110 00101110 00100000 01101001 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100011 01101111 01110010 01110010 01100101 01100011 01110100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 01101101 00101110 00101110 00101110 00100000 01101001 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01110011 01101000 01101111 01110111 00100000 01001000 01001001 01001101 00101110’_ **

By no means does he understand it, it’s in some criptict code that he’ll have to search later. Nonetheless, it makes his gut twist a little bit in worry. Could it be connected to the murder? Johnny knows better than any to not jump to conclusions or bring things that aren’t connected in any way into his investigation, but something in his gut tells him that it could be part of this whole mystery. 

Johnny finally gets back into his car and begins his drive home, the note invading his thoughts the whole way.

He pulls into the driveway, and the first thing he notices is the front door wide open, along with all the windows on the front of the house. Johnny feels his gut twist again. It’s devastatingly cold outside, and Taeyong _ hates _ the cold. He picks up his pace as he rushes inside. His heart is beating so quick Johnny wonders for a split second if it’s going to fall out. He finally enters, and what he sees shatters him like glass dropped from a building. 

Taeyong is sitting there, a blank expression on his face and his nails in his arms with small blood trails dripping down his biceps and onto the grey couch. The house looks too clean, more than it usually is and Johnny bites his lip and rushes over to his boyfriend.

“Baby,” Johnny says, but Taeyong doesn’t turn to him, “Baby, what’s wrong? What happened?”

He feels his eyes water when Taeyong suddenly gasps for air and releases his arms. Johnny almost reaches out to him, but doesn’t want to trigger whatever is going on and make it worse, so he stays still. 

“Hey, hey, baby look at me,” Johnny coos, “Can you do that for me? Can I touch you?”

Taeyong looks softly at him, and as if Johnny was some savior, he collapses forwards and into Johnny. The older immediately wraps his arms around his small frame, carding a hand through his soft brown hair and holding him tightly.

“Taeyongie, please talk to me,” Johnny mumbles out, “You’re going to get sick, you’re freezing. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I-I..” Taeyong tries to get something out, but his voice gives out.

“Shh,” Johnny pets his hair a little and pulls him to sit in his lap, “It’s okay.”

“There… Was someone here…” Taeyong says, “I didn’t call the cops because he said if I did he would hurt the people I love… and he grabbed me and…”

“Taeyong, there was someone in the house?” Johnny gasps, “Why didn’t you call me immediately afterwards? My team would’ve helped you.”

Taeyong’s tears don’t stop falling, “He said he was going to kill you… and Mark… and me, Johnny. I-I watched him pull his knife out and then he said he wouldn’t do anything if I gave him s-something he wanted.” 

“What did he want, Yongie?” Johnny pulls away and looks into his boyfriend’s eyes.

“He wanted me… but as soon… as he grabbed me, he got a call…” Taeyong sobbed, “He held me so tight I almost threw up, he felt so gross and I was on the ground, I couldn’t get myself clean-- I couldn’t do it and now I’m _ tainted _ and crawling with germs. I feel them on my skin.”

“Oh, god…” Johnny let’s his own tears fall and he picks them both up, “I’m reporting this. He threatened you and touched you.” Taeyong grabs his arm tightly.

“But Johnny,” Taeyong gasps, “He…”

“Please, angel,” Johnny says, “Just tell me what he looked like. We’ll handle it. We’ll be okay.”

“I-” Taeyong goes to protest, but immediately gives up, “He… was really big, Johnny. Taller and more broad than you and he wore really vintage clothing. H-He was grumbling about how my lifestyle was disgusting then entire time and his voice was very deep and accented…” Taeyong trails off and squeezes his eyes closed.

“You don’t have to continue, okay?” Johnny replies, “You don’t deserve this, baby. That was enough for us, let’s get you a warm bath and something to eat. I want you to begin to go to therapy again, it’ll help you.”

Taeyong stays silent and and let’s Johnny carry him up the stairs and into their bathroom, “We’ll be okay, and most certainly you and Mark will too.” 

The younger winces at the mention of Mark. He was practically their child, them still going through courts and clearing so they could properly adopt the boy even though they’ve only fostered him for just over a year. He’s fourteen, but he’s been living with them since he was thirteen. Mark considers them his parents.

Before Johnny left that morning, Mark had gone to his best friend Donghyuck’s house. He didn’t need to worry him about Taeyong right now.

After Johnny had helped his boyfriend clean himself and change into comfortable clothes, Johnny tucked him into bed and went through the house to close and lock all windows and doors. Then, he made something small for him and Taeyong. He assumed Taeyong didn’t eat. Whilst waiting for it to warm up, he pulls his phone out and messages Doyoung about the happenings with Taeyong. 

** _Doyoung: Is he okay now?_ **

** _Johnny: Partially… He’s extremely shaken up. I’m worried for him._ **

** _Doyoung: We’ll run some things tonight and I’ll have a few officers be on the lookout for him. This isn’t something that we can brush off._ **

** _Johnny: Especially because he threatened to kill Taeyong and Mark._ **

** _Doyoung: He threatened you too, so be careful. Don’t let either of them out of your sight. _ **

** _Johnny: Mark is staying the night at Donghyuck’s. I’m going to have him stay there until we can ensure it’s safe for him to return home._ **

** _Doyoung: Good idea, I’ll have someone patrol outside the house. _ **

** _Johnny: Please send someone over to ours, as well. Someone in back as well, we don’t have a gate so they can sit on the side of the road and watch._ **

** _Doyoung: I’ll do my best to ensure that you’re both safe. _ **

Johnny feels a sense of relief wash over him, nothing bad can happen. Taeyong will be okay, he will wake up and drive him to therapy and he’ll come to work with him as well. They’ll talk to Mark over the phone and they’ll be okay. Everything will be fine. 

He almost doesn’t sleep that night, but eventually it does wash over him in cold waves. 

The peace doesn’t last. In the morning, he awakens to a cold bed. Taeyong is not there. Everything looks to be in place and he immediately rushes from their bedroom and down the hallway. Everything is so quiet. _ Too _ quiet. There’s no soft humming from the kitchen, the shower isn’t running, there’s not a sound from the living room. Johnny feels his blood run cold. Taeyong is nowhere in the house, _ nowhere. _

“Fuck!” Johnny yells, “_ You can take me _. Why the hell my fucking boyfriend!” 

Johnny storms outside to look for the patrol officers. They didn’t do their job, clearly. _ Taeyong is fucking gone. _The engine of the car isn’t on, and Johnny feels his stomach twist. When he gets to the window, in the front seat is an officer. 

There’s a bullet hole straight through his skull, Johnny wants to scream. He feels like throwing up, curling into a ball and crying. His boyfriend is gone, there’s a chance both officers are gone as well, and his stupid fucking heart won’t stop beating so fast.

He tries to call Taeyong, but the calls go straight to voicemail and Johnny let the tears fall. Then, he tries Mark. He didn’t want to drag their poor son into this, he didn’t deserve to be tainted with fear, but Johnny knows he has to.

_ “Hello?” _ Johnny breathes out in relief, _ “Dad?” _

“Mark, please tell me your Papa is with you.” Johnny says, “Please.”

_ “Dad, what?” _ Mark questions, _ “Why would he be with me?” _

“Markie… did he text you at all last night?” 

_ “Yes, he just said that he loved me and told me to take care of you.” _ Mark replied, _ “He always says things like that, so it’s nothing weird. But his grammar was strange and some things weren’t spelled right. He was probably tired.” _

“What time did he text you?” Johnny asks, “Did he say anything else?”

_ “Dad, chill,” _ Mark groans, _ “He texted me around eleven pm, and no he didn’t.” _

“Okay, okay,” Johnny chuckles bitterly, “He should’ve been sleeping.”

_ “I guess, but is everything okay?” _

“I’m gonna come get you from Donghyuck’s.” 

Then Johnny hung up and got into his car. His heart was racing and he could barely focus. 

Donghyuck didn’t live that far from their house, in truth, but Johnny was distracted so it took longer. When he got there, Mark was talking to Donghyuck on the front porch about something, but waved goodbye when he saw Johnny’s car.

“Hi Dad,” Mark greeted, “Are you okay?”

“I’ll explain at work, you’re coming with me today,” Johnny states coldly. His tone is cold, and Mark furrows his eyebrows in worry. Johnny had always been the more relaxed on, not really raising his voice when it came to Mark.

The drive is quiet. In fact, it feels like the world has lost all it’s sound and Johnny was endlessly falling into the silence. Doyoung was waiting outside for him when he got there, already being informed by Johnny in a frenzy of texts. He dropped Mark off at the lab, telling him to stay with the others until he and a few officers got back. 

Losing two officers and a person in one night wasn’t common in a small town like Eastport. Everyone knew everyone and there was no major crimes happened here. This wasn’t something that anyone worried about until now. People from other cities and counties often argued about high tech their investigation unit was, saying that they didn’t need something as advanced as that. But in reality, they were in charge of all crimes in the county. Not everyone looked into that though. 

It’s just the fact it’s Eastport. 

Arriving back at his house, he watching EMT’s rush out from their vehicles. Johnny looks at the commotion and barely notices when Doyoung comes up behind him.

“Taeyong will be okay,” Doyoung says, unsure, “I promise.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Johnny replies, “His life and mentality are in danger. He’s my boyfriend. The person I vowed to spend my entire life with. Someone who I said I was going to marry. Hell, I was going to propose to him soon and now I don’t even know if he’s alive.”

“Just try to keep your head high,” Doyoung sighs, “Please don’t lose yourself. Stay strong for Mark, he’s probably so confused with what’s happening at the moment.”

“I feel sick.” Johnny whispers, “He was so scared. He fell asleep in my arms… I was holding him and he still was taken away from me. This is my fault, I couldn’t protect him.”

“No!” Doyoung snaps, “This is not your fault. Do _ not _ blame yourself for this.”

The sun was just above the trees by now, shining down on the neighborhood and illuminating the area. A few people had come outside to see the commotion. Police blocked the area and a few people went inside to look around Johnny’s house to look for any clues of Taeyong’s disappearance. All they had was a text from him at eleven to Mark, when he should’ve been sleeping in Johnny’s arms. Police question a few people if they saw anything suspicious at night, asking people where they were, and if they heard any gunshots the night before. 

They all said the same things, work, sleeping, out with friends, and no they didn’t hear gunshots. It all came to a halt when they came to someone by the name of Moon Taeil, another Korean that lived just a few houses down, said that he was returning from work when he saw a large figure outside the house with who he assumes was Taeyong. He said that he didn’t think of it because Johnny is also tall, and it was too dark and far for him to recognize the man. 

“Was Taeyong doing anything?” Doyoung asks, and Taeil pondered a moment, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Yes, actually,” Taeil responded, “He was being carried by the man. Now that I think about it, his wrists might of been tied because they were pressed together. But I was tired and didn’t really look at it too much.”

“Tied together?” Doyoung questions, “He was definitely taken with force.”

Johnny tenses and grips his hair harder, “I just want him back.”

Doyoung turns to Johnny and narrows his eyes, “We all want him to come back, Johnny. You need to focus and get your head in the game. You’re part of the investigation too.”

“And for all we know you’re a suspect too.” Taeil cuts in. Doyoung snaps to Taeil.

“You’re our biggest suspect _ and _ witness.” Doyoung responds, “It’s very strange that you’re the only one who saw something when people who live closer to them that returned from work saw nothing.”

“What time did you get off work?” Johnny asks, “Where do you work?”

“I didn’t do shit!” Taeil scoffs, “I worked till three am. That’s when I saw him outside.”

“Three am?” Johnny asks, “Are you sure?”

“I know when I get off work, dipshit,” Taeil spits.

“I’d watch what you say, anything that you say can be held accountable in the future,” Doyoung replies, “If you so help me respond in fibs during any of this and we find out, you’ll be on the top of the suspect list when we figure things out.”

“You can’t arrest me for something you have no evidence of me doing,” Taeil says, “My uncle is a cop. You’re not allowed to do this.”

“We’re both part of the law,” Doyoung replies. Taeil rolls his eyes.

“I know,” Taeil says, “Why else would I be in this room?”

“Well-” 

“I didn’t do anything to Taeyong. I don’t even know him,” Taeil says honestly, calming down, “I’m sorry for you man, I know it’s hard to lose someone you love. It’s like you lost part of you.”

“Have you lost someone?” Johnny asks.

“Yeah,” Taeil replies, “I lost my kid. Back then I lived in Lubec, I went inside for one second. When I got outside, he was gone. Completely vanished. It’s been five years… he would eleven.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m thirty.” Taeil says, “I moved here after they cancelled the search because there was no leads to his disappearance. Only his shoes and toys left behind.”

Taeil seems to tear up, choking on his words and Doyoung reaches out to Taeil to give him a gentle hold to the hands. Johnny feels awful, he had been so rude to a guy who clearly had no part of Taeyong’s disappearance whatsoever. He and Doyoung just released their anger out for no reason.

“Taeyong is twenty three,” Johnny says, “He and I got together when he was eighteen and I was twenty four, I know it’s quite a difference, but we met in May, he was turning nineteen in July. He ran into me and we just hit it off. We dated for two years and then we ran away together to where we are now, Doyoung took us under his wing and gave us shelter until we could support ourselves. It’s been two years that we’ve been here and it’s been hard on Taeyong.”

“You’re no younger than I am,” Taeil says, Johnny shakes his head.

“When I came home last night, he was in shock. He has bad mysophobia that he gets treated for. But I came home and usually he’s wearing long sleeves, because he likes to be warm. The house was too clean, like he’d spent years scrubbing each surface. He was just wearing a t-shirt and his boxers, shivering like a leaf, but looking dead ahead. My heart fell.”

Doyoung reaches out, but Johnny brushes his hand away, “I was so fucking scared. He wasn’t moving and he was so cold. He told me all he could get out, I don’t think- I--”

“Johnny you don’t have to continue,” Taeil says softly, “Just know that I will do anything to help you guys in finding Taeyong. I’m no good at a lot of things, but I have a degree in criminology and psychology.”

“What are you doing working at a bar?”

“It’s not easy finding a job like that out here,” Taeil says, “I applied for a job in the criminal investigation field but it was denied due to my mental state.”

“I understand,” Doyoung replies, “I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry, I make ends meet,” Taeil laughs softly, “I’m doing much better now.” 

“That’s great,” Johnny replies, “Are you sure you want to help?”

“Of course, I just…” Taeil looks down, “I don’t want you to go through what I had to.”

Johnny nods, though he’s not entirely sure if Taeil is trustworthy. 

* * *

Mark is quiet when Johnny appears in the office. His head is down and he’s playing _ geometry dash. _The square bouncing along until Johnny clears his throat, ultimately leading to Mark’s character’s death. Johnny feels sick to his stomach as he sits in front of the boy who they’ve been trying so hard to adopt. They might get their right to adopt him stripped away if the courts manage to make Taeyong’s disappearance a hazard for Mark to live in. 

“Hey, Markie,” Johnny smiles and sits next to him, “What are you playing?”

“Some game called Geometry Dash, you made me die,” Mark replies. Johnny knew what that game was, but he still didn’t know how to bring Taeyong up. Mark’s gentle eyes looked around, “Is Papa here?”

“Oh,” Johnny clears his throat, tears already forming in his eyes, “About Papa…”

Mark notices the discomfort immediately and sits up, “Is he sick? Is he hurt? Dad, what’s-”

“Mark, settle down,” Johnny tries, “Your Papa… He’s gone missing…”

“What?” Mark almost laughs, “You’re joking. Papa is older, he knows not to mess with strangers.”

“Mark,” Johnny replies, “It’s not a joke.”

“Wh-Wh-” Mark bursts into tears before he can utter a word out. Johnny immediately envelopes the young boy into his arms and manages to hold back his own tears. This hurts. Everything does, because now that he has the boy who he considers his son and has for a while, sobbing in his arms-- Johnny wants nothing more than to kill whoever this guy is. Whoever dared to take a father and husband away. 

Johnny knows they’d be married in an instant if Johnny were to ask. 

When Mark pulls away, he rubs at his eyes harshly as if it’d stop the tears.

“Dad... Was I the last person Papa contacted?” Mark asked quietly, “I should’ve known something was up.”

“Shush, baby no there was no way that you would know,” Johnny says, “This wasn’t preventable.”

Before anything else can be shared, two figures burst into the room making Johnny look towards them. Ruby and Doyoung.

Ruby was a cop, mostly dealing with the smallest to biggest of crimes and always on the go, but today she was in regular attire and she was holding something in a baggy.

“This is a note we found in your bedroom underneath the bed,” Ruby says, “It’s cryptic so it’s going to need to be deciphered which shouldn’t be that hard, but it’s definitely something.”

Johnny suddenly sits up and motioned for them to come close.

“I got a note just like this on my car yesterday, I didn’t think anything of it so I just put it in my glove compartment.” 

“They could be connected.” Ruby replies, “Do you mind going to your cr and getting it? We’ll stay here with Mark.”

Johnny nods and rubs the top of his son’s head before heading outside. 

The cold weather reminds him of the living room and how terrified Taeyong looked. He shouldn’t of slept, he shouldn’t have trusted that it was all over and that they’d be protected from what was bound to happen. Taeyong was traumatized, his body registered the man as a threat almost immediately and the fact that he _ touched _ his waist and made Taeyong feel sick made him want to kill whoever he was. He’d never been one for violence, but if it came down to that he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot that man in the head. 

He grabs the note and rushes back inside, nearly tripping when he makes it back to the room with the others. Johnny hands them the note and Ruby inspects it.

“The codes are different so they both have different meaning, if we just run the tests right now we can figure out what it means immediately.” She walks over to the couches and pulls her laptop out. She looks at the note through the plastic bag and begins to type away, receiving the answer almost immediately.

She sighs, _ “We all want things we can’t have. They are some of them. _ It reads. I don’t know what they’re trying to say.”

“What about the one on Dad’s car?” Mark asked quietly, “What does that one say?”

Ruby looks at Mark and smiles, “Good question, kiddo. We have to find out.”

After typing in the code, Ruby furrows her eyebrows and begins to worry at her lip. Johnny and Doyoung come to her side, looking at the screen to see what the message says. As if the room has dropped temperature, Doyoung jolts with a shiver and backs up.

“This is the same guy.” Doyoung states, “This is the same person who killed Aika Lee.”

Ruby looks at him, “How can you be so sure?”

“Johnny did tests, he ran through her entire body scan and slurs covered her everywhere,” Doyoung explains, “Homophobic slurs. They were aimed towards her, which is why Johnny believes that she was killed for that specific reason.”

“That’s… a stretch I have to say, but definitely not out of the park,” Ruby replies, “We’ll have to look into it more. Johnny, you said Taeyong gave a description of him?”

“Yes…” Johnny says, “Taller than me, stronger than me. Taeyong mentioned he was broad and his voice was deep with some sort of accent to it.”

“Well, the accent part is no help,” Doyoung replies, “He’s still practicing English, every voice is accented to him. But, that doesn’t mean it’s off the charts. He can probably tell if it was an English accent or not.”

“Right,” Johnny replies and sits down next to Mark, who instinctively leans into him and closes his eyes. The older man feels guilty like he’s done something wrong. Mark is hurt very badly and it’s clear by the way he’s acting. Johnny wonders if Taeyong would still be here if he just went to the station immediately instead of waiting it out and calling Doyoung to cover him and make sure he’s safe. He cards a hand through the soft black hair of his son’s and sighs. Mark will always be considered his son, forever and always. He wants him and Taeyong to become the sweet little family they’ve been trying so hard to be.

There’s a low bit of thunder that sounds outside, and Johnny feels ill. He hopes that Taeyong knows they’re looking for him, that they’re doing everything they can to figure this out. It’s so hard when there’s little to no evidence or leads. It also dawns on him that whoever took him, if the fact this person does what they do because of someone’s sexuality, has been watching them for a while. Taeyong doesn’t go out much other than to grocery shop with Mark or sit on the porch and read. 

Johnny looks at the papers a little while longer.

“We should see who has handwriting close to these notes,” Johnny says, “The numbers may be the same, but it shouldn’t be that hard in a small town like this.”

“The killer can change the way they write if they know we’re looking into that,” Doyoung says, “We’ll have to figure a different way.”

Ruby nods in agreement to Doyoung’s words and hums, “We can go to buildings that specialize in writing like the newspaper companies and businesses.”

It’s a silent agreement.

* * *

That night, Johnny and Mark rest in the spare room of the station. Ruby and Doyoung didn’t trust that it’d be safe at their home, especially after the murder of two of their officers. Their funerals would be soon. Johnny still feels ill at the thought of the officer he saw in the vehicle, how it looked so precise. Like the killer had pressed it against his head, then shot.

Johnny gets up and rubs his eyes. There was no way he was sleeping with all these thoughts plaguing his mind. _ Taeyong I promise I’ll save you… I promise. _He’s temporarily brought from his thoughts when he hears a door down the end of the hallway slam shut. His reflex is to grab the gun off his dresser and tuck it into his pocket, just in case it was some intruder coming to take someone else Johnny loves. He locks the door behind him and strides down the hallway, hand on the gun. He knows it’s completely plausible that it was just another officer, but his gut wasn’t going to trust anything for a second. Johnny had already made that mistake once. 

He reaches the door that was slammed and pulls on the handle gently before kicking it open with a tap. He eyes the room and notices there’s no one there except him, but he still looks behind the door and in the cabinet. Luckily, nothing. It could’ve been someone leaving though.

“Johnny?” It’s Ruby, her velvety voice stringing through his ears, making him turn around and face the tall woman. She looks at him up and down. “Why are you awake?”

“I heard a door slam,” He says, it’s partially the truth.

“That was Officer Schmidt, he came into the lounge afterwards and asked if we heard it and if it was loud enough to hear,” She laughs, “I suppose it was. But I know that wasn’t the reason you’re awake.”

“I…” Johnny knows there’s no use in lying, because Ruby is an investigator and a pretty good one too. If she wants answers, she’ll get them out of you within seconds. Johnny doesn’t know how she does it, usually interrogations take hours, maybe even days. “It’s Taeyong. I feel sick. I don’t know what to do without him by my side.”

“Johnny, we’re handling it, it’ll be okay,” She responds, “Please remember your health is important and Taeyong would want you to take care of yourself. He’s gonna be okay, he can’t be far if the killer is leaving notes around like this.” 

“I should’ve been awake.” Johnny says, “I should’ve prevented this.”

Ruby places a hand on his head and shushes him, “You did your best.”

Someone suddenly bursts into the office room, panting, to which they both recognize as Officer Howards, who is still gasping for air as he holds out three different papers.

“I think we got a lead.”

Johnny’s head snaps towards Ruby, then they both rush out following Howards. The adrenaline that fills their bodies is something amazing, because whoever this guy was, was insanely clever at covering his tracks. How Officer Howards got a hold of a lead was beyond him. They entered the offices and headed towards their conference room. Howards set the papers down at the table and then-- what Johnny least expected, was Taeyong’s phone.

“Where did you get his phone?” Johnny questioned, “I thought that it was nowhere to be found?

“That’s what we thought, then someone from town said they had found a missing phone at a park, so they turned it in,” Officer Howards explained, “I knew it was Taeyong’s because his background is you with Mark on your back.”

“How did it get there?” Ruby wonders aloud, “I mean, if he had his phone with him I’m just concerned with why he dropped it if it would be able to help him in the future?”

“Taeyong’s not an idiot, he wouldn’t drop his phone somewhere or lose it like that,” Johnny says, “He’s a very precise and organized person. If it was in the park, there’s a reason.”

“Do you think he escaped to the park and was followed by that guy?” Ruby asked. Johnny cringes harshly, his hands balling into fists. Before Ruby can continue, Doyoung came in and was surprisingly with Taeil.

“You got a lead?” Doyoung smiles, “This- This is really good. We can-- We can trace any texts, anything that can be valuable in this investigation. This is huge!”

“Doyoung, settle down we’re still discussing this,” Officer Howards said, “We have a letter, Taeyong’s phone, and what seems to be a document.”

Doyoung sits down next to Johnny and places a hand on top of the older’s with a soft smile and a way to reassure that everything would be okay. 

“Let’s check out Taeyong’s phone,” Doyoung suggests. The others nod.

“If anything I’m doing this,” Johnny says, “He is my boyfriend.”

The others nod, letting him grab the phone with shaky hands. Johnny unlocks the phone with the passcode, looking softly at the homescreen for a moment. It was of Taeyong, Mark, and him at the plaza after Mark’s fourteenth birthday dinner. That night Mark had gotten sick as well, and ended up staying home from school for three days because of the food. Taeyong had a bad attack when they got home, and to this day Johnny isn’t aware of what triggered it. They managed to make the most out of the night though, with cuddles and movies. 

Johnny blinks a couple times, then goes to messages and his heart drops to his stomach. Mysterious messages from an unknown number were at the top, and his message to Mark just below it. His message was left unread.

** _10/14/19 at 1:45 AM:_ **

**_15346893601:_** **_I’ve been watching you, Yongie._**

** _15346893601: Why won’t you answer my texts?_ **

** _15346893601: Come on baby, I know you’re scared._ **

** _Taeyong: Please leave me alone._ **

** _15346893601: Aw, you replied. _ **

** _15346893601: All you have to do is listen to me._ **

** _15346893601: I still imagine my hands on you, you know. You’re so petite and pretty. Like a girl. It’s a shame you like men too, but I can’t be surprised when you look like that._ **

** _15346893601: I’d show you that being gay is sin. You’d be disgusted. I’d make you straight. _ **

** _Taeyong: I will report you to the police…_ **

** _15346893601: What’s your boyfriend gonna do about it? He won’t be able to do anything before I got my hands on you. If you report me, I’ll harm Johnny and your little Markie._ **

** _Taeyong: Don’t do anything to them. Please don’t touch them._ **

** _Yesterday at 7:56 PM:_ **

** _15346893601: Goodbye, Taeyongie. I’ll see you soon._ **

Johnny is quiet. He feels sick, his head hurts, everything in his body is on fire. Taeyong was trying to fight this alone. The man, he’s concluding, has been harassing Taeyong for two months. He didn’t say anything to anyone to avoid getting he or Mark hurt, and now he was gone. Johnny did a terrible job at protecting the one person who showed him that love was important in life. That he wasn’t going to be alone, that he was capable of being loved. He showed him everything.

“Johnny?” Doyoung questions, “Johnny, what’s wrong?”

“This man… he’s…” Johnny couldn’t find his words. He feels so ill. Doyoung takes the phone and scrolls through the endless texts from the man and eventually the last one from yesterday. 

“Oh god.” Doyoung places a hand over his mouth. The other blink curiously, “This man has been harassing Taeyong for months. Sexually and mentally harassing him. He’s been threatening to hurt Mark and Johnny so Taeyong would stay quiet. Whoever this man is, Taeyong is in huge danger and we need to get Taeyong home immediately.”

The others nod in approval, and Officer Howards places the phone in a baggy, then takes the notes and hands them to Doyoung.

“We need to do the run throughs at businesses as soon as possible, we need to figure out who has similar handwriting to this man and then get information on all possible suspects. And anyone in the neighborhood that Johnny and Taeyong live in is classified as a suspect.” Ruby says, “We need to get this information immediately, so we will begin our search tomorrow, then a few of us will go to business and analyze the similarities between handwriting.”

Ruby looks to Johnny and smiles, “We will do anything it takes to bring Taeyong home. No matter how long it takes.”

* * *

When Johnny finally excuses himself from the conference room, he heads to the bathroom before he can get back to Mark. He needs to calm himself down before anything. Johnny looks into the mirror, it’s the first time he’s probably done this in two days. To say it in a few words, he looks like shit. His hair is messy and his face is sunken in from the lack of sleep and due to the fact he probably hasn’t eaten anything in a while. Johnny splashes water on his face. He needs to focus on what matters. If he is going to do this search, he needs to be 100%, because to not be 100% would only drag his team down. There’s nothing he’d rather do than make sure Taeyong was safe, but if he didn’t take care of himself he couldn’t give his all in this. Johnny bites his lip. He knows as soon as he gets his hands on that man he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.

“God fucking damn it,” Johnny mumbles to himself, “I’m gonna go insane.” 

There’s a knock at the bathroom door, he assumes at most it’s Doyoung or probably Ruby. When he opens it, he sees Mark standing there with tired eyes.

“Dad,” Mark whispers, “Can you please come back to bed now? I’m too scared to sleep alone.”

Johnny nods softly and pulls Mark into a hug, holding him tightly in his embrace. He smiles weakly, unsure of the words he’s about to say, “We’ll find your papa, Markie, he’ll be okay. He’s gonna be home in our arms in no time.”

Mark knows his words are uncertain, but he doesn’t have it in him to disagree. Whoever had taken Taeyong knew what they were doing and were able to take him without anything left behind. He only knows so much, if nothing at all other than his papa being missing. 

When the pair goes off to bed, he doesn’t miss how Johnny locks the door behind him, or the way he looked everywhere in the room and down the hallways. 

Mark pretends he doesn’t hear his Dad cry himself to sleep silently, squeezing him against his chest as if he’d slip away. 

* * *

The morning is no better, his dad his still locking him in place as the door to their bedroom is unlocked and opened. Mark looks up from his spot and sees Doyoung standing there with a concerned look on his face. He only smiles when he sees the young boy is awake, motioning him to come with him. After a couple tries, Mark wiggles free and he heads out with the older man, following like a lost puppy. They reach the break room, which is also considered the kitchen.

“Is everything okay?” Mark asks quietly, “Like, is the investigation going okay?”

Doyoung hesitates a moment before nodding once, “We have some clues. Earlier a few guys went to check the forests, they’re also searching places previous crimes have happened.”

“Anything that is close to finding my Papa?” Mark sounds too hopeful, if only Doyoung could explain that missing persons cases were so much more complicated than a speeding ticket. 

“A few clues have given us a little description of what kind of person took Taeyong, when he took him, and we’re certain that he’s alive,” Doyoung replies. “Why don’t you just focus on your breakfast for now. You’re a young boy. You need your energy.”

Doyoung pats the boys hair and gets a plate ready for him, humming softly to a pop song that Mark can’t recognize. He looks a while at the table in front of him. He hates that he’s being treated like a child, he deserves to know about Papa more than anything, because he’s the one who has been raising him alongside Johnny. They feel like his actual parents, and everything seems to be going downhill from here. There’s a high chance if the social workers find out that Taeyong had gotten kidnapped they’d believe he was at risk for it too, deeming Taeyong and Johnny as unfit parents. The case would’ve been over if it hadn’t been his birth mother trying to step in and gain custody once more despite losing it when he was so young.

Johnny and Taeyong were fairly new to the town and had met Mark while he was out with friends and a worker from the orphanage he was staying in a few miles out of town. They chatted up the worker because they thought they looked quite young despite having three kids that looked to be teens. They found out that Taeyong and Johnny were open to fostering any child, especially after moving into such a large house. And sure enough, after months of therapy, training, and actions to ensure they could raise a child, they granted Mark to stay with them. Adopting him however, was a nightmare. Everything seemed to be so complicated with making sure yet again they were capable of raising Mark as parents.

Mark sighs as the plate is sat in front of him, and looks at Doyoung, “I’m worried about my dad.”

Doyoung nods in agreement, “He’s probably losing his mind. Taeyong and him are like two peas in a pod, you know? When I met them, they were always together and attached at the hip. Johnny was always careful and made sure Taeyong was okay because of his phobia. They work well together.”

“I can’t imagine what he’s feeling,” Mark says with a soft voice, “I can’t imagine losing my best friend, let alone my significant other.”

“Do you have someone special to you, Mark?” Doyoung says softly. Mark nods.

“Yeah, his name is Donghyuck, I really like him,” Mark says, “I’m too scared to do anything. Plus I haven’t even come out to Taeyong and Johnny yet.”

“You know they’ll accept you, they have to,” Doyoung replies, “They love you.”

“They’re also gay themselves, so it’d be awkward if they didn’t,” Mark joked, earning a laugh from Doyoung. The older male smiles, he looks fondly at the young boy and nudges him.

“You know, they’re gonna win in court for you,” Doyoung replies, “They won’t give up no matter what.”

“I know,” Mark sighed, “I love them more than anything, too.”

Their sweet moment is interuppted by the door swinging open, and a cry of relief, “Oh thank fucking god,” Johnny cried, “I almost had a heartattack when you weren’t there… You… You can’t do that, Markie, I was so scared.”

Johnny strides over quickly and grabs hold of Mark by his cheeks, “I don’t want to be overbearing, but please tell me if you’re leaving. I can’t lose you too.”

“Okay, I’m sorry Dad,” Mark says, “I get it, I should’ve said something. Me and Doyoung-hyung were just talking.”

He nods and sits besides the boy, “Yes, that’s okay. I was… I just was scared.”

“Aye, Youngho-hyung, go take a shower and shave,” Doyoung orders, “You smell like a wet dog.” 

Johnny sends Doyoung a glare, but nods nonetheless and heads for the showers.

“Just message me when we’re heading to downtown,” Johnny replies, “I’m gonna get myself cleaned up.”

He turns to Mark, “Is it okay if you go to Donghyuck’s today?”

“Yes, I’ll message him,” Mark responds, “He never minds my company.”

* * *

Johnny feels coldness spread across his body like someone poured a bucket of ice water over his head. The mid-winter breeze was devastatingly chilly, making his face flushed red. There’s no reason for anyone to really be out and about, so the roads are mostly empty with occasional people driving to work or home from it. As he, Doyoung, and Ruby walk into a smaller business building, they notice the eerie tension in the room almost immediately. It’s significantly warmer in here than outside, and the room is dimly lit by a chandelier. Ruby quirks as eyebrow and walks to the front desk. 

“I work with Eastport Department of Investigation and Policing, we’re here to just speculate the area for any sort of clues, matches to handwriting,” Ruby replies. The lady at the desk quirks an eyebrow.

“Why is this place part of your little… search.?” She questions, “Am I allowed to say no?”

“Of course you are, but with all due respect ma’am, this is a serious case and we need answers. Eastport is a small town, everyone is a suspect when something this huge happens.” Doyoung cuts in, “Please take the time to recognize that we are not here to take any of you under arrest, either, we are only looking for justice.”

“There is no such thing as justice in this damn world, kid,” The lady spits, “Just because there’s justice on your part, doesn’t mean anybody else got it. But of course, please continue with your investigation. Not my business what y’all are doing. Just don’t mess with anything.”

The group nods and opens a door to many cubicles of men and women working away. They stare silently, looking for anybody who’s missing or has noticed their presence. Johnny walks around a little and looks at post-it notes, things on the wall, and anything that can match the handwriting on the note. 

It looks a little ridiculous, honestly, because there’s a high chance they won’t find anything.

After all, there’s so little leads to where and who this guy is. They could trace the phone number, which they’ll probably end up doing. If the number is not traceable, or it leads them to a dead end, they’ll have to search handwriting until they reach possible suspects to the crime. 

What all three of them fail to notice in that time period in the room, is the man who slips out into the lobby just as they turn their backs and disappears to the front of the building. 

When they finally conclude that there’s nothing in there for them, they leave with a goodbye and apology to the staff. 

“Why did we even expect to find something?” Johnny asks, “This guy isn’t stupid, he knows what he’s doing.”

Doyoung nods, but doesn’t say anything. Instead focusing on his shoes. Johnny knows he does this when the younger is lost in thought or something was bothering him, so he nudges him.

“What’s wrong, Doie?” Johnny asks, “Everything okay?”

He furrows his brows together and shakes his head, “I just feel… Like we’re missing something. I have a bad feeling in my stomach.”

“I’m sure it was that lady’s perfume,” Ruby snickers, “She looked middle aged but her perfume reeked of grandma.”

“Maybe,” Doyoung says. 

Seconds later, as they continue their walk downtown, all three of their phone’s ping at the same time. Three messages.

** _wireby.e1@yahoo.com_ **

** _[2 videos attached]_ **

** _[1 photo]_ **

Johnny feels his stomach drop too quickly when he sees that all three attachments aren’t just spam mail, they’re of Taeyong. He grabs onto Doyoung, who seems so faint and out of reality. The photo is nothing pleasing to look at. 

His boyfriend is very clearly tied up, including a rope around his neck. There appears to be dry blood and tear stains on his face and he looks to be only wearing a pair of sleep shorts. Looks as if he hadn’t showered in a while. 

Johnny almost passes out. If it weren’t for holding onto Doyoung he was sure his entire body would just give in on itself and he’d not be able to move. 

This guy was fucking with them. He knew that they were trying so hard to find Taeyong, but this guy didn’t give any shits. 

He didn’t even want to know what happens in the videos, because he already has a feeling of what does. Johnny closes out of the phone and looks at his partners.

“I’m gonna kill this man,” Johnny says, “If I get my hands on him, he’s fucking dead.” 

Then Johnny walks ahead, heart racing a million millions a minute, but looking so grounded despite his mind at the brink of insanity with his missing boyfriend. The boy who didn’t deserve this, what no one deserves.

Johnny was going to kill this man.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. This took very long to write and I'll do my best with updates. I hope this first chapter was intriguing enough for you to continue, so please remember that the smallest things can give me the effort to continue this so all comments and kudos are welcome if you wish to!


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